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KABUL: The Minister of Interior, Massoud Andarabi said that the Taliban are preparing for ‘full-scale war’ in the New Year, while assured that Afghan security forces ‘are ready to thwart’ their attacks. Mr. Andarabi said this in a briefing to the lawmakers at the parliament on Monday.
Every winter there is a decrease in the clashes as the militants take preparation for the next year fighting, he added, while now the insurgent leadership ordered its fighters to continue fighting even during the harsh winter time.
In previous years, Taliban were going back to their shelters and families in Pakistan during winter season, according to Mr. Andarabi, who said to brief their leadership about the war in Afghanistan.
He also announced the establishment of a joint Security Unit Comprising the National Directorate of Security, Special Forces and Commandos. The unit is presently fighting the militants in western Farah province and inflicted heavy casualties on civilians, he added.
The Afghan security forces have recently thwarted the Taliban’s attacks to take leverage in the intra-Afghan negotiations. Referring to the clashes in southern Afghanistan, Andarabi said that the security forces killed nearly 1,000 Taliban fighters in Kandahar and Helmand provinces.
He also blamed the Taliban for the unclaimed attacks of targeted killings and magnetic bombs, saying that the militants are involved in these attacks. The perpetrators of the attacks detained by the Afghan security forces testified their involvement in the Taliban command. Last week, the lower house of the parliament decided to summon the security officials as insecurity has been on the rise across the country.
